Amy from Lazy Lap of Oz shares one of her families favourite campoven cooking recipes - Chocolate Filled Dumplings. Her two young children Jai (9) and Eliza (7) help to show how easy the recipe is and their not the only who can vouch for the taste of these delicious treats.
Both Dean and Amy have been part of the scouting movement since childhood so fire and campoven cooking is second nature to them these days. Whether it is whipping up a yummy stew for the family or catering for an entire scout course it can be done on a fire. They feel that meals on the fire taste so much better than any other types of cooking, and in the process allows family and friends to gather and chat over a warm fire and meal.
During the scouting days this recipe became a staple. It gave all the instructors the pep up they needed after a big day of caving and camping with young whipper snappers. It is a great warm dessert for those winter nights, and the basic dumpling can be used on top of a stew too.
Golden Syrup Surprise Dumplings
Ingredients
Sauce
30g Butter
½ cup Golden Syrup
¾ cup brown sugar
1 2/3 cups water
Dumplings
1 ¼ cups self-raising flour
30g butter – softened
1/3 cup golden syrup
1/3 cup milk
Your favourite block chocolate
We find it easier to prepare the dumplings ahead of time well before dinner, allowing the cooking process after dinner to be a much quicker one.
1. Place the flour and the butter for the dumplings into a bowl and rub the butter through the flour. This is a great easy job to get the kids involved in cooking.
2. Once there are no lumps in the flour gradually add the golden syrup and milk and stir through with a fork until it clumps together. Once it clumps gently need it into a ball with your hands.
3. Break the dough into 8 pieces and flatten into a pancake on your palm. Then add a piece of your favourite chocolate to the centre and roll the dough into a ball around chocolate. Place the dumplings aside while you prepare the sauce.
4. Put all the ingredients for the sauce into the camp oven and place it on the coals with the lid off. Bring the sauce to the boil.
5. Once the sauce is boiling gently place the dumplings into the sauce. Depending on the size of your oven you might need to prop it up on one side so the sauce is on the other.
6. You will know that the dumplings are ready when they double in size and the sauce begins to thicken. CAUTION: don’t leave it on the fire for too long at this point as the sauce will go like toffee.
7. Serve the dumplings with either custard or ice-cream. One dumpling will never be enough.
Savory Alternative – on top of stew
To make the dumplings savory replace the golden syrup with cheese, and add a little more milk to get the dumplings to form a dough. Roll the dumplings into balls and in the last half hour of cooking a stew place them on top of the stew. This will help thicken the stew and also soaks up the flavours, making the stew amazing!
These recipes have become delicious treats since Dean, Amy, Jai (9) and Eliza (7) hit the road on a Lazy Lap of Oz. This travelling family left the Hunter Valley NSW in February to explore this great country and give their kids the most amazing learning experience possible. They have so far spent the bulk of their time in Tasmania, but will be heading for the Red Centre later in the year. Red dirt has always pumped through their veins and they feel most comfortable surrounded by bush or red dirt.
They are living in their off-road Bushtracker caravan towed by their gold Chevrolet Silverado. If you happen to see them on the road join them round the fire for a drink and a chat.
Follow their adventures at;
